Nursery Pictures

The first pictures of the nursery are posted on the right side in the Photos section. I didn't take the best photos, but you get the idea. Since I took those, we put together a few more baby things like the Pack and Play and the Papasan seat. We thought it would help prepare the cats for the new arrival. They've been curiously sniffing, pawing, rubbing and watching as we do this.

There's a bin with receiving blankets on the floor. I stuck all of the booties in there, including foot rattles given to Baby by cousin Emma and Nan (My mom - I don't know if that's her official grandmother name or not, but that's what we'll call her here). Camper loves those foot rattles! Twice now I've found her playing with them - she's so good she even gets them out of the bin and takes them into the office.

As you'll see in the pictures, the cats got in the Papasan baby seat. Rest assured, we will clean and launder everything before Baby arrives. I've arranged clothing, onesies, and blankets, but when it gets closer to delivery time, I'll wash it so that it's nice and fresh for Little Levi. No, we don't know if it's a boy or girl, but Markus' Mom (Grammy, aka Danny if the children have a hard time saying Grammy) coined the term. Levi is Markus' middle name and we like the alliteration in Little Levi. Anyway, we'll freshen everything up before Little Levi comes home, but for now, it's kind of fun to watch the cats investigate all of this stuff.

The Pack and Play is set up in our bedroom - a good thing, because it's been able to air out and no longer has that plastic-y small that new things often have. The cats like the mobile on there, too...who knew that baby toys would be the best cat toys ever? We just have to make sure that BABY doesn't make a good cat toy, or we're in trouble! :-)

So let's see, the nursery is pretty much done. Curtains arrived last week so we'll be hanging those soon. The chest in the pictures is what we'll use initially for clothing storage. We have diapers, burp cloths, lots of onesies, sleeper gowns, etc. I have a list of a few more supplies we need, but it's just a few and we're planning on taking care of those things this weekend or next. The nice thing is that they're smallish (breast-feeding pillow, for example); all the big ticket items are here. And I have the breast pump, and well, my breasts (the only thing related to this child that will be free of charge, I'm sure!) so we're good in the feeding department, too.

We started our childbirth classes last week; they continue each week in April. One of the things that surprised both of us is how many people are curious about our plans for childbirth (i.e., first question asked - are you going to have an epidural? My first thought - how the hell should I know, I've never done this before...).

Here you go, in case you're interested: we will try to have a natural childbirth. We know labor and birth can be extremely painful and tiring, though, so if it becomes too much for me or the professionals suggest an epidural or other type of pain medication, we'll use it. I'm not opposed to medication one bit, but it's worth a shot at natural birth. You don't know until you try, right? The other thing I've read is that many women are 100% set on natural childbirth and then end up having pain relief medication for one reason or another and the women feel like they failed or they don't look back on their birth experience as fondly. I don't want to set myself up for that kind of feeling, which is why we're taking the wait and see attitude and remaining open-minded about the potential need to use meds for pain relief.

Oh, we ordered our diaper bag last weekend, so that should be finished the first week of May. We got the "European Stripe" fabric (brown with wavy stripes; the stripes are blues and oranges and yellows) with a soft blue waterproof lining on the inside. We'll take pictures when we receive it.

That's about it from babyland. We're both reading The Baby Book by Dr. Sears and really enjoying it. I think my favorite part (and Markus') from our reading thus far is about the advice you receive from others - everyone tries to give you advice, but when it comes down to it, you know your child the best. Nod and smile when people give you advice, and then do what you think is best for your child, since he/she is yours. :-) Anyway, it's been informative and helpful to both of us. Thanks to our friend Justina, who recommended the book. She's a great mom, her husband is a super father, and their son is adorable and one of the most pleasant children I've met. Clearly they're doing something right, so hopefully we'll be as fortunate in using some of what we learn in The Baby Book. Here's hoping Little Levi is a content, happy baby. Enjoy the pictures.

Sorry for the boring post. I've spent much of the night reviewing our "Payee List" in MS Money and consolidating Payees (I finished consolidating the Categories last night). Mind-numbingly dreadful, but it'll make our Payee dropdown much shorter when I'm finished. My creative juices just aren't flowing. Oh, yes, Markus is away tonight. Why on earth would I be doing the Payee List if he were at home?! He's in Andover, Mass. tonight and tomorrow and then off to Knoxville Thursday and Friday. Perhaps I'll post another, more exciting update later in the week.